I think it is a bit sly of apple to change to a 7200rpm drive at the same time as the switch to intel to kind of make it seem like there's more improvement from the new chip._________________Mac Mini G4 1.5GHz / 1GB / 80GB
Newertech ministack v2 (250GB seagate)
Linux AMD 64 2.64GHz / 2GB / 250GB

Here are the things that I think, I think:
- Duo Core Intel chipset running on a 667mhz front side bus is very, very slick.
- Two RAM slots (up to 2GB) are a big step in the right direction.
- Glad that they included Front Row.
- If the hard drive is really 7200rpm then that is a vast improvement
- Keeping the same form factor was nice.
- Including Front Row with a remote was a nice touch.
- Adding in the advanced audio features and an IR port is great for future expansion.

Here is what I am struggling with:
- Raising the price above $499 for the base model is a gamble..
- The integrated Intel graphics card was stupid, stupid, stupid.. They were doing so many things right then they added a $4 crappy card:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1821811,00.asp
The above comparison is against a very low end dedicated graphics card.. All Apple had to do was stick a $50-60 video card in the Mini and it would have been so much better... It just bothers me that they did this.. They should have included this card in the single core model and gave the duo core a "real" graphics card..
- I was very dissapointed that Apple did not make the Mini a more robust media center type device with DVR functionality. I would have bought one in a heartbeat.. Now I may be stuck using my Xbox 360 more and more.. I think the media played this up to much and I am dissapointed..
- Continuing to stick with a 2.5" hard drive means that we will continue to need to utilize external hard drives to expand into the future. 3.5" drives are so much cheaper...

Maybe I am making a little too big a deal with regards to the graphics card. For most applications, it will be sufficient. It just seems so cheap and unlike Apple to skimp on such an important component.. I do not even use my Mini for games (hello Xbox 360), but this seems like a very poorly planned move and is most likely a sign of things to come with the iBook replacement..

All in all, many will be happy. Me, I am still very happy with my PPC 1.5GHZ, 64MB Vram Radeon model..._________________Vote for me, and your wildest dreams will come true.. - Pedro Sanchez, "Napoleon Dynamite"

But DDR2 makes me happy, as does line in, 4 USB ports and gigabit ethernet. However, they didn't do anything about the crappy power adapter interface.. it's very loose, and mine falls out all the time - when it's on.

As I have mentioned in another thread...both the new iMac's and MBP's HAVE the GMA950's on board (just not utilized). It's been pretty obvious that these would be used for their lower-end systems. AND, don't be so sure that this isn't an upgrade from the 9200._________________ -=iMav=- http://geekhack.org

I'm pretty dissapointed with the price. Apple added a whole bunch of stuff that I don't need.

1. I don't need wireless internet for a desktop computer.
2. I don't need this bluetooth thing.
3. I don't need this stupid remote for a program that I will probably use once.

The Mac Mini used to be a really sweet entry system. After all of the rumors, I was planning (well been planning for a few weeks now) on buying an entry model today with my tax return and some money I made selling my old Shuttle PC. I had my budget set at $500. I figured with the student discount, it would be $479, and I would be able to buy a nice Apple keyboard with it.

Instead I found out today that the Mac Mini went up $100 and includes a bunch of accessories that I have no use of. Why did they do away with the entry model?

Another thing that ticks me off is the fact that even though the new mini has two RAM slots, Apple cheats and uses two memory sticks for the 512 mb model.

As I have mentioned in another thread...both the new iMac's and MBP's HAVE the GMA950's on board (just not utilized). It's been pretty obvious that these would be used for their lower-end systems. AND, don't be so sure that this isn't an upgrade from the 9200.

It better be an upgrade from the original Mini, it has been over 1 year and they are charging more money..

I would be interested in comparison against the 9200 Radeon 64MB VRAM chipset which is what came in my Mini. Apple took this down from their site today (another Apple user posted the screenshot), but they had this posted on their website regarding the previous gen PPC Mini and the Radeon 9200:

"Go ahead, just try to play Halo on a budget PC. Most say they're good for 2D games only. That's because an "integrated Intel graphics" chip steals power from the CPU and siphons off memory from system-level RAM. You'd have to buy an extra card to get the graphics performance of the Mac mini, and some cheaper PC's don't even have an open slot to let you add one."

Those are not my words, they are Apple's.. This is what bothers me. Look, I don't think the integrated graphics chipset is a deal-breaker. I just think that an $800 computer that has no keyboard, mouse, or monitor should have a slightly better graphics card..

Your right, for the most part the integrated graphics card will be more than adequate for the Mini. But, it could have been better. Also, I want to see some real world tests to see if the new Mini is really 5-8 times better than the last generation Mini (especially against the stealth model). When I say real world, I also think that that should include some applications runnning in Rosetta..._________________Vote for me, and your wildest dreams will come true.. - Pedro Sanchez, "Napoleon Dynamite"

I'm pretty dissapointed with the price. Apple added a whole bunch of stuff that I don't need.

1. I don't need wireless internet for a desktop computer.
2. I don't need this bluetooth thing.
3. I don't need this stupid remote for a program that I will probably use once.

The Mac Mini used to be a really sweet entry system. After all of the rumors, I was planning (well been planning for a few weeks now) on buying an entry model today with my tax return and some money I made selling my old Shuttle PC. I had my budget set at $500. I figured with the student discount, it would be $479, and I would be able to buy a nice Apple keyboard with it.

Instead I found out today that the Mac Mini went up $100 and includes a bunch of accessories that I have no use of. Why did they do away with the entry model?

Another thing that ticks me off is the fact that even though the new mini has two RAM slots, Apple cheats and uses two memory sticks for the 512 mb model.
Ugh, this sucks.

Same here.... I have no use for FrontRow
I needed a entry-based Mac... for $500.... but now...looks like im gonna stick with Windows..............

Apple stock down 3.52% after today's announcements. I think that is atypical after several major product announcements.

Rumor is that the analysts are not impressed with the new Mini and were expecting something that could counter Windows Media Center.._________________Vote for me, and your wildest dreams will come true.. - Pedro Sanchez, "Napoleon Dynamite"

Apple stock down 3.52% after today's announcements. I think that is atypical after several major product announcements.

Rumor is that the analysts are not impressed with the new Mini and were expecting something that could counter Windows Media Center..

You can't look into that much. Apple's stock crashed after they announced the iMac and MacBook. On Wall Street you always sell the news and buy the rumor.

I know, I know.. I never worry about the analysts.. Too be honest, I am just pissed that Apple did not release a Mac Mini "tivo killer".. I was really hoping for something new and innovative.

While the new Intel Mac Mini is impressive (somewhat), it is hardly innovative or groundbreaking..._________________Vote for me, and your wildest dreams will come true.. - Pedro Sanchez, "Napoleon Dynamite"